All Soviet nuclear weapons have been removed from Germany, the new Soviet defense minister said Saturday.
Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov made the statement to German Ambassador Klaus Blech in a meeting that Blech had requested, Defense Ministry spokesman Vladimir Nikonov said in a telephone interview.The Soviet Union earlier this year reported that all nuclear weapons had been withdrawn from what was formerly East Germany. But German officials later learned some remained.
Former Foreign Minister Alexander Bessmertnykh visited Bonn in June, apologized for the misunderstanding and said the weapons would be removed promptly.
Shaposhnikov and Blech also discussed Soviet troop withdrawals from Germany, which are proceeding according to schedule, Ni-konov said.
Shaposhnikov told Blech that the Soviet Union had never deployed chemical weapons in Germany, the Tass news agency said.